How do the big foam filters work?

[el wad]

Alright, I gotta ask....
How do you guys work those big internal foam filters?
I read you have to use an air pump?
Do you run other filtration such as a cannister or something else besides these foam things?
Does anyone hook them up to the intake on their cannister filters?

I like the idea of added filtration and was thinking of adding these into my grow-out tank.

Any and all info is greatly appreciated.

[fredox]

They work on a similar idea to under gravel filters. Air is pumped into the base of a uplift/central tube. The air pulls water with it as it rises in the uplift tube. This water moving pulls the water through the foam and created the filter.

I've seen people run just foam filters and then I've seen them run them with just about every other type of filter. As for adding them to you canister intake, they would effectively become pre-filters and trap all the major dirt entering the canister.

[troyclark]

I would think that if you use a conventional sponge filter as an intake prefilter it will clog very quickly and minimize the canister filters effectiveness. HTH

[aquagal]

I agree that using a sponge prefilter on a canister intake reduces its efficiency.

[fredox]

Sorry I should have put about the clogging in the first post. The only times I've had using them as a pre-filter said to my they have said you need to clean them every few days if not daily.

Another way I've seen them used is as a back-up/emergency filter on a centralized system. You can run them in the tank and if you need to isolate a tank you have a filter ready to go.

[el wad]

nice....I was wondering about clogging myself.

What would be a good set-up for a 112g?

I run 2 eheim cans on the aquarium right now, and would love to add more filtration.

[el wad]

heh heh...clogging myself.

[reelay0]

Since you don't have a sump of some sort on the tank from what I read... the filter would have to go into the tank itself. I good place to put it is where most of the poo and other trash builds up in your aquarium. That way it gets sucked up by the foam filter and it will make your siphoning life a bit easier.

if you do have a sump stick it in the sump so it doesn't mess up your aquascape.

[fredox]

Do you mind me asking a few questions?

What Eheims are you running?
What media do you have in them?
What stocking levels do you have?

I've got 2 running on a 90 gal community with no problems and it's overstocked for size but not when you take the filtration into account. If your just looking to cut down on canister maintainance Eheim do a pre-filter. It's the bottom item on this page http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~filters_eheim_surface_ex tractor.html

[el wad]

[QUOTE=fredox;429094]Do you mind me asking a few questions?

What Eheims are you running?2226 w/eheim pre-filter and 2227 wet/dry
What media do you have in them?effisubstrat pro/peat in the wet dry and straight mechanical in the 2226
What stocking levels do you have?5 fish at the moment

I like the idea of using them as an extra polisher/bio source.
QUOTE]

[fredox]

I'd have thought your bio-filtration was fine with what your running. As for polishing the best way I've found was to add a surface skimmer. My tank is covered but it still makes a massive difference.

You'll have to ask one of the guys that runs the foam filters what their like for polishing.

How many fish are you looking at going up to and are we just talking discus?

[NanDiscus]

Hi Everyone,

This may be a little bit off the topic, but seeing what it evolved into, I feel, that my addition will do no harm.
As I was building my own little show tank, I realised that I only had a Hydor Prime 20 to use as a filter. I wanted to increase the filtration potential, so I manufactured a little addition to it:

I took a roughly 20 gal plastic srew-top, rubber-sealed container, drilled two holes on the top for the intake pipes, one hole very near the bottom, and filled with (bottom -> top) about 10gal of bio-balls, a layer of filter wool, about 5 gal of 2"x2"x2" sponge cubes, another, thicker layer of filter wool. On the inside of the intakes I used two drilled pipes to spread the water over the surface relatively evenly for a good flow.
The barrel is attached to the intake of the Hydor filter, stuffed with about a gallon of Siporax, this pumps the water back up into the drilled tank. I use no additional filtration on this tank, as I have the impression that this filter might be a little bit of an overkill.

Merry Christmas!
Nandi

[phidelt85]

Nandi, it's a great set up; however, may I make a suggestion. You may consider adding a drain valve on the bottom of your filter so you can drain off the muck that accumulates in it. You can even back wash the filter by reversing the flow and running it to drain.

[Polar_Bear]

I would think that if you use a conventional sponge filter as an intake prefilter it will clog very quickly and minimize the canister filters effectiveness. HTH


I agree that using a sponge prefilter on a canister intake reduces its efficiency.

Actually you are both wrong. I have pre-filters from JEHM, which are merely Hydro 1 sponge filters, on all tanks with canister filters and flow has not been impaired at all. They are great if you don't want to change media in your canister filters weekly.

[NanDiscus]

Nandi, it's a great set up; however, may I make a suggestion. You may consider adding a drain valve on the bottom of your filter so you can drain off the muck that accumulates in it. You can even back wash the filter by reversing the flow and running it to drain.

Hi Jose,
Yes, I thought about it, but it's quite difficult to disconnect the system, so I just take the connection apart at the Hydor every once in a while and drain the bottom of the big filter like that. I don't lose too much water this way and the outlet reaches into the bucket quite well. Making another whole, emptying the tank would just be too much of a hassle.

Nandi

[Harriett]

I agree with Larry here--I use the larger sized sponge filters as prefilters for ALL my tanks, including the 180g with the FX5 on it, as well as the bare bottomed 75s and 80g. --they all collect the crap very well and I have not had any issues with slowing down the filtration. The big planted tank prefilter does fine as long as it is cleaned once a week. I've been using the sponge filters as prefilter method for years and it works perfectly.
HArriett

[RickMay1]

I must see things different, I use just foam filters and the only thing I want the foam to be filtering is the ammonia from the water. Everything else is removed by water changes. The problem I see with using mechanical filtering is the poo, food, or what ever doesn’t leave the tank, it just looks better because you don’t see the poo rotting away. I’ve used about every kind of filter known to man, and I think adding more filtering to suck up the food or poo only moves it some ware you don’t see it. The only acceptable form of mechanical filter IMO is a filter that you can clean daily like the pre filter on a wet dry… JMO

[Harriett]

I get your logic, but for me, if there is good water volume in the tank for the # of discus [I like 12-13 g/per discus], etc and great biofiltration, some junk in a prefilter is not going to be an issue--I like the big foam prefilters on my canister filters because they do collect the debris, I do like to see clear water, and they are way easier and faster to clean every 1-2 x week than working on my canisters that often! I only clean my canisters every 2-3 months because they stay really clean when I use these foam prefilters. Call me lazy, I don't have the time or energy to deal with weekly canister cleaning on multiple tanks--that would put me over the top. I have come to rely on the increased bio of planted tanks over BB [I am NOT talking about a baby or juvie tank--just adult discus here] for less frequent water changes and a still quite healthy environment for my discus--through experimenting over a few years and reading more, I have now gotten my planted tanks down to one 70% water change and thorough plant maintenance, substrate/prefilter cleaning a week, which works great. I have been doing it this way for a couple years now, in my tanks. If I brought in juvies, it would be the BB massive daily water change regimen that we all know and love....of course--again, with big prefilters in those! JMO, LOL.
regards,
Harriett

[jeff@zina.com]

...good place to put it is where most of the poo and other trash builds up in your aquarium. That way it gets sucked up by the foam filter and it will make your siphoning life a bit easier.

Not really. You need to siphon the tank, sponge filters aren't supposed to be foolproof mechanical filtration. Clean the filters by squeezing them in tank water as you do your water changes.

Jeff

[Harriett]

I get your logic, but for me, if there is good water volume in the tank for the # of discus [I like 12-13 g/per discus], etc and great biofiltration, some junk in a prefilter is not going to be an issue--I like the big foam prefilters because they do collect the debris, I do like to see clear water, and they are way easier and faster to clean every 1-2 x week than working on my canisters that often! I only clean my canisters every 2-3 months because they stay really clean when I use these foam prefilters. Call me lazy, I don't have the time or energy to deal with weekly canister cleaning on multiple tanks--that would put me over the top. I have come to rely on the increased bio of planted tanks over BB [I am NOT talking about a baby or juvie tank--just adult discus here] for less frequent water changes and a still quite healthy environment for my discus--through experimenting over a few years and reading more, I have now gotten my planted tanks down to one 70% water change and thorough plant maintenance and substrate/prefilter cleaning a week, which works great. I have been doing it this way for a couple years now, in my tanks. If I brought in juvies, it would be the BB massive daily water change regimen that we all know and love....of course--and I still use big prefilters in those!
regards,
Harriett